The Milwaukee Bucks made a shocking selection with the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by selecting guard A.J. Johnson. Johnson is only 19 years old and there were a lot of mock drafts that had him being selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft and not being drafted in the first round.
This was a head-scratching pick by Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst. A.J. Johnson was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, but he decided not to play college basketball last season. Johnson played in the Australian NBL’s Next Star program last season. In that league, he only averaged 2.9 points per game and only averaged 7.7 minutes per game with the Illawarra Hawks.
May 14, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; AJ Johnson (1) participates during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
A.J. Johnson is 6’4″. It will be interesting to see if he is going to crack the Bucks rotation next season or not. This may have been one of the most surprising selections of the first round in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
NBA Analyst Lists Milwaukee Bucks Selection A.J. Johnson As a Winner On Wednesday Night During the 2024 NBA Draft
Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; AJ Johnson poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucs in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports listed several winners and losers on Wednesday night during the 2024 NBA Draft. One of the winners he had on his list was Johnson. Despite not being a projected first-round selection, Devine said about him:
“You don’t get invited to the green room, you show up anyway, and you get to shock the world by landing in the first round, celebrating with your family in the stands at Barclays Center, and then making your way down to the stage to dap up the commish? I’ve got to imagine it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Johnson might be a winner for attending the NBA Draft on Wednesday night in the stands and being lucky to get his name called when watching the first round of the draft from the stands. He will have a lot of work to do with the Milwaukee Bucks.
There were so many players that the Bucks could have taken instead of him. What did not help Milwaukee’s draft plans was that center Kel’el Ware from the Indiana Hoosiers was drafted 15th overall by the Miami Heat. Also, the Denver Nuggets traded with the Phoenix Suns and jumped over Milwaukee for the 22nd pick to select center Daron Holmes II from the Dayton Flyers.
Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Kel’el Ware poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY SportsMilwaukee could have taken center Kyle Filipowski from Duke with the 23rd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, the selection of A.J. Johnson will have Bucks fans scratching their heads all summer.
Mayfield Sports Marketing
Call Mayfield Sports Marketing at 262-366-8188 to schedule Green Bay Packers players or alumni for your corporate appearance or product promotion. Our booking agents will work on your behalf to get you the best price for your desired sports speaker. Mayfield Sports Marketing has earned a reputation of being the one to call for booking top athletes to speak at events and trade shows
